Amaral's grasp of forensics ...

[DCI]

"in this laboratory" you missed out.

I meant the saliva/semen thing.

Traces of semen

On one of the beds in the room of the McCann couple, a residue was collected that initially was thought to be of semen. It turned out to be saliva and matched another child that had been in the apartment before.

[Carana]

Did anyone in that initial PJ team understand forensics? If so, who?

[gilet]

The pyjamas being sent are 'equal' in make, model, size, colours and designs as well as presumably the texture, to those the little girl was wearing at the time of her disappearance. The article sent serves for eventual comparisons with fibres collected by the competent officers of the Police Scientific Lab, within the scope of the current investigation.

Really?

So Amaral is saying, they have fibres from Madeleine's pyjamas. So where and how, did they aquire these fibres?

Well you'd think that maybe they'd be in the bed she slept in, wouldn't you?  Along with maybe some other trace of a girls who'd supposedly been in the apartment for 5 days.  Therefore rendering a trip back to Rothley to get a pillowcase unnecessary.

Do you not actually see that in your post C.Edwards you are completely discrediting the work of the PJ and Amaral the co-ordinator of that work?

It was the PJ who failed to collect samples from the bed. It was Amaral who was coordinating the PJ at that time. When a police force fails so badly to collect such potential vital evidence in a missing child case then I think it is fair to point out their failure and to call it disgraceful work.

It was also the PJ who in one of the most strange twists of the case accepted the pillow case brought by Gerry McCann back from Rothley as evidence. Having failed to find any DNA (Were their techniques simply not up to the task? Were they as bad as the fingerprinting techniques which Amaral himself says were not the best?) they should then have liaised with Leicester Police for a reference DNA sample from the house and should never have simply accepted a sample via the father of the missing child. Such incredible stupidity on the part of the PJ was the responsibility of Goncalo Amaral who was co-ordinating the PJ team who allowed it.

There can be no excuse for such appalling failures in the work of the police in a missing child case. This isn't simply a matter of discrediting Amaral and his team but is actually proving that they were totally incompetent.

[Carana]

Has anyone worked out what happened to the hair on her bed?

The markers would appear to indicate hair. I count 10 of them.


The delivery slip doesn't specify how many.



From the INML receipt page, there were only 4 hairs from the bed in envelope no. 3. What happened to the others?

[Redblossom]

It was also the PJ who in one of the most strange twists of the case accepted the pillow case brought by Gerry McCann back from Rothley as evidence. Having failed to find any DNA (Were their techniques simply not up to the task? Were they as bad as the fingerprinting techniques which Amaral himself says were not the best?) they should then have liaised with Leicester Police for a reference DNA sample from the house and should never have simply accepted a sample via the father of the missing child. Such incredible stupidity on the part of the PJ was the responsibility of Goncalo Amaral who was co-ordinating the PJ team who allowed it.

There can be no excuse for such appalling failures in the work of the police in a missing child case. This isn't simply a matter of discrediting Amaral and his team but is actually proving that they were totally incompetent.

But that is exactly what happened.

The pillowcase from the house in Rothley was not given to the Portuguese, but to the Forensic Science Service in the UK from which a DNA reference sample was obtained and which was later confirmed as Madeleine Mccann's. Nothing to do with police incompetency here.

You can read it here in the third and fourth entries.

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MADELEINES_DNA.htm


http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MADELEINES_DNA.htm

[Carana]

So far, no one has an explanation as to what happened to the missing hairs from Madeleine's bed...

The only explanation that I can think of is that there may have been an intention of 2 envelopes (3a and 3b), 3a being the 4 that were actually received and 3b (with the other 6 hairs) got lost somewhere in the chain of custody.

[Redblossom]

So far, no one has an explanation as to what happened to the missing hairs from Madeleine's bed...

The only explanation that I can think of is that there may have been an intention of 2 envelopes (3a and 3b), 3a being the 4 that were actually received and 3b (with the other 6 hairs) got lost somewhere in the chain of custody.

The number of hairs taken off the bed is not mentioned. I think the number 4 refers go the vestige number, it is a reference number, not the number of hairs. This is just my opinion and how I read it.

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/PORTUGUESE-FORENSIC.htm

[Carana]

So far, no one has an explanation as to what happened to the missing hairs from Madeleine's bed...

The only explanation that I can think of is that there may have been an intention of 2 envelopes (3a and 3b), 3a being the 4 that were actually received and 3b (with the other 6 hairs) got lost somewhere in the chain of custody.

The number of hairs taken off the bed is not mentioned. I think the number 4 refers go the vestige number, it is a reference number, not the number of hairs. This is just my opinion and how I read it.

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/PORTUGUESE-FORENSIC.htm

That wouldn't seem to be the case as No.4 (marker number) was from the floor:

- various hairs from the floor area next to the bed opposite to the bed from which the sleeping child disappeared, they being placed inside a paper envelope in accordance with instructions issued by the Biology Section of the LPC and referenced as trace evidence #4.

[Carana]

Carana, it can be confusing. The markers refer to the yellow forensics cards. The vestige collection has a different numbering.

Various hairs were collected from on top of the bed in the bedroom, they were placed in a paper envelope, according to the instructions of the Scientific Police Laboratory's Biology Area and were referenced as vestige no. 4.



Date of Delivery: 29th May 2007
Destination: Biology Area of the Scientific Police Laboratory

Forensic Examination no.: 200707356-CR/L
NUIPC: 201/07.0 GALGS

Date and Time of Collection: 05.22.00 May 07
Place of Collection: Aparthotel Sol e Mar, 2nd floor, Apartment C, Burgau

Scope: Disappearance of Girl
Requested by: Chief Inspector Tavares de Almeida, Portimao DIC.

Vestiges Delivered:
No. Description
1A Cotton swab containing haematic vestiges collected from the kitchen cupboard door.
IB Various hairs collected from the kitchen floor.
2 Various hairs collected from the entrance corridor
3 Various hairs collected from the bedroom floor
4 Various hairs collected from the bed in the bedroom.
5 Various hairs collected from the bathroom.
6 Various hairs collected from the living room floor.
7 Various hairs collected from a sofa in the living room.
8 Various hairs collected from a sofa in the living room.

Lisbon 29th May 2007
Signed: delivery and receipt.

JMO.

But

Date and Time of Collection: 05.22.00 May 07
Place of Collection: Aparthotel Sol e Mar, 2nd floor, Apartment C, Burgau

We're talking about her bed in 5a, PdL. I posted the photos further up.

[Redblossom]

Carana, I have removed my post. I'm sorry, I was reading the wrong pages.
 

[Carana]

Carana, I have removed my post. I'm sorry, I was reading the wrong pages.
 

Yes, but I can see where the confusion came from. No worries.

But I still don't understand what happened to the hairs from her bed.

[Carana]

I find it sad that no one seems to be really interested in the hairs on her bed nor in identifying whose hairs they may have been.

[gilet]

It was also the PJ who in one of the most strange twists of the case accepted the pillow case brought by Gerry McCann back from Rothley as evidence. Having failed to find any DNA (Were their techniques simply not up to the task? Were they as bad as the fingerprinting techniques which Amaral himself says were not the best?) they should then have liaised with Leicester Police for a reference DNA sample from the house and should never have simply accepted a sample via the father of the missing child. Such incredible stupidity on the part of the PJ was the responsibility of Goncalo Amaral who was co-ordinating the PJ team who allowed it.

There can be no excuse for such appalling failures in the work of the police in a missing child case. This isn't simply a matter of discrediting Amaral and his team but is actually proving that they were totally incompetent.

But that is exactly what happened.

The pillowcase from the house in Rothley was not given to the Portuguese, but to the Forensic Science Service in the UK from which a DNA reference sample was obtained and which was later confirmed as Madeleine Mccann's. Nothing to do with police incompetency here.

You can read it here in the third and fourth entries.

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MADELEINES_DNA.htm


http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MADELEINES_DNA.htm

Whether the pillowcase was carried to PT by Gerry McCann (as I have mistakenly claimed) or whether it was sent directly by LP to the FSS after Gerry's visit to Rothley my point remains that any involvement by him in the matter was incompetency on the part of the PJ.  They were investigating a missing child and should have obtained a DNA sample far earlier than 22 May.

If, as seems likely, they bungled the forensics of the Apt 5A bedding etc by allowing the cleaners to remove it on 4th May for washing then they should have immediately liaised with LP rather than waiting for Gerry to go home.

[DCI]

This from 4th May 2007 from Mccannfiles.
TRANSLATION BY ALBYM

Not checked against original CD's yet.

After the examination of the inside of the apartment and despite the immediate surroundings of the referred apartment not having been preserved [protected] there proceeded the detailed observation of the exterior there not having been detected the existence of any objects/traces of forensic value and [nor] of any traces of shoe-prints in the garden area of the apartment.
The recovery of cigarette stubs was not viable due to the existence of a reasonable quantity thereof within the referred perimeter.
[Note: I think the writer meant to say 'due to the non-existence of'.]

I cannot believe the incompetence, too many cigarette stubs, to analyze???

And how come, months later, Grime found existence of objects/traces of forensic value?
 
 




 

[Luz]

Correspondence between Amaral and the Portuguese forensic laboratory again ...

There is an anomaly with the dates, but that's not the point of principal interest.

Subject: Sending of Pyjamas

The present inquiry investigates the disappearance of Madeleine McCann on 3rd May 2007. I am herewith delivering to the Police Scientific Laboratory a pair of girl's pyjamas.

The Pyjamas are from Marks and Spencers, size 2 to 3 years -97 cm.

The pyjamas are composed of two pieces: camisole type without buttons and half sleeves, pink with designs, letters and tracing in white with (small) floral patterns, the right pyjama bottom leg has a design (smaller size) which is identical to that of the camisole.

The pyjamas being sent are 'equal' in make, model, size, colours and designs as well as presumably the texture, to those the little girl was wearing at the time of her disappearance. The article sent serves for eventual comparisons with fibres collected by the competent officers of the Police Scientific Lab, within the scope of the current investigation.

With compliments

Signed

The Coordinator of the Criminal Investigation

Goncalo Amaral

And the bewiildered response:


1723 to 1725  Letter 15 March 2007 from LPC to PJ Portimao asking what should be done with the pyjamas there having been no fibres collected during the Inquiry
07 Processos Vol VII Page 1723 to 1725
07_VOLUME_VI1a_Page_1723
 Letter
To: The Coordinator of the Criminal Investigation

Date: 2007/03/15 (sic)

Ref: NUIPC 201/07 GALGS

Your communication: 2007/06/05

Ref no. 15971 Reg Correspondence 6429/07

Subject: Information

With reference to the abovementioned letter and in compliance with the despatch, we request you to provide us with information with regard to what should be done with the material sent, given that in this Scientific Police Laboratory there are no fibres that have been collected within the scope of the investigation mentioned above.
With compliments.



This is the man who, apparently, contradicted Prior on interpretation of the forensic results, then sent him away with  a flea in his ear to berate the FSS on the subject of the PJ's powers of arrest ...

As a matter of fact it was Stuart Prior that irritated with the incongruences from the Lab, told them by phone that "with less than that I've sent people to prison".

What that shows is that the Laboratory was in fact a mess. They had received an amount of samples and that was just another to be taken with the others in order to be analized.  They are supposed to be scientists not clowns to go with the pijamas to a children's party.